Many urban environmental problems are directly or indirectly related to water and sanitation. Rural-urban migration and increasing population densities in towns and cities are placing enormous pressures on available water resources. SMEC understands that some of the world's worst environmental health conditions are to be found amongst the urban and peri-urban populations of large cities and has first hand experience of the underlying issues and causes.

The environmental pollution problems are exacerbated dramatically by a range of additional factors, including:

• lack of sewerage and sewage treatment capacity
• lack of appropriate on-site sanitation facilities
• open drains and lack of garbage disposal facilities.

Experience gained through our long association on projects in more than 70 countries worldwide has given SMEC staff a unique understanding of the social environmental and technical challenges of providing water to urban communities.

Our philosophy and approach to the provision of water supplies to urban and peri-urban communities is cross-sectoral, demand driven and consumer focused. SMEC combines this approach with an associated and complementary technical capability to undertake:

• demand studies and models
• computer aided pipe network design and simulations
• leakage detection studies
• system rehabilitation
• demand management studies, and
• water pricing studies.